Alarm.



FTENTED SEPT.Av l7 X907,

No. d66 $84.

'1" R. KYNSRLLA L C. W. HODGrE'IT` ALARM. .SPPLIOATIC'N FILEDMAR,21.190T.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

a I LJ l No. 866,484. PATENTED SEPT. 17, '1E-G7, T. R. KINSBLLA a C. W.HODGETTS.

ALARM.

APPLICATION YILBD MAR. 2l. 1907.

QSHEETS-SHLST 2 THOMAS ROBERT KINSELLA AND CHRISTOPHER W.

HODGETTS, OF HARTWELL, OHIO.

ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 17, 1907.

Application 'ned mmh 21,1907. serial No. 363,709.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that we, THOMAS ROBERT KINsELLA and CHRISTOPHER W.Honon'r'rs, citizens of the United States of America, residing atHartwell, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented newand useful Improvements in Alarms, o which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved audible alarm primarily designedfor use upon street cars and other similar conveyances to be operated toindicate the apypreach of the car, thefobject of the invention being toprovide an alarm device having operating means arranged or use inconnection with a. controller handle, such las the brake handle orswitch cont-roller handle of van electric car, thus enabling a motormnnto operate the alarm in a more convenient manner and Without removinghis hand from the handle.

Thel invention consists in an electric alarm having K. controlling meansmounted upon the handle and is 20' illustrated inthe accompanyingdrawings, in which? Figure lis a view inside elevation of a controllerbox and `a vertical longitudinal section of a controller han- `ille,embodying myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are, re-

spectively, top and bottom plan views of the parts of the switchmechanism on the box and handle. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinalsection through a controller handle,` showing a modification of thealarm mechanism; Figs. 5v and 6 are, respectively, a bottom pltan View'of the handle and a top plan view of the elements on the controllerbox.

I `In the accompanying drawings and following. de-

scription wehave shown and described the circuit terminals as arrangedupon a controller box or casingand the coacting circuit closing orenergizing means as being mounted upon a controller handle. It will beunderstood, however, that while these terms are used for convenience andfor cxemplifying one inode ofapplication and use ot' the invention, thecom troller box or casing may be embodied as its equiva- 411 lent in acasing, shelf or like support for the terminals, while the controllerhandle may be a brake handle, detachably connected or not, as may bepreferred, with .the controller (brake) shaft.'

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a controller box orcasing, 2 the upper angular Yend of the controller shalt, and 3-thecontroller handle provided, as usual, with a socket in its base toreceive and engage the shaft, thus adapting the handle to be applied andremoved in order to adapt it forvuse in connection with controllers atopposite ends ofl a car.

In the fornrof the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and n 3, twocontactshoes or members 4 and 4, curved on an arc concentric with the shaft andcorresponding tol the arc of movement of the handle, are mounted uponthe top1 of the' controller box'and separated by interposed insulation4b, and to said shoes are respectively connected conducting Wires 5 andIormmg pan, oi an alarm circuit containing a bell or alarm device (notshown) and fed from a battery or connected with the car circuit in anypreferred manner. On the con- 61) troller handle 3 is a coacting shoe orContact member 7 adapted upon depression to bridge and engage the shoesltand 4* in any position of the handle 3. Thel shoe 7 is carried by astem 8 projecting upwardly into a socket 9 forme inthe base of thehandle and workingloosely. 65 throu: cover plate 10 closing the base ofsaid socket, said ci.; er plate being formed of some suitable insulatingmaterial. The stem is normally held elevated to maintain the member 6out of contact with the member,

4 by a coiled spring l1 surrodiiding the same between 70 a head 12 andthe cover l0 or an insulating washer 13 resting on the latter. The head12 is adapted to conf tact with the shoulder 14 formed at the upper endof the socket,'whereby the lifting movement of the contact 6 under theaction of the spring is limited. In- 75 tegral with the stem to whichthe head 12 sxed in any suitable manner, or arranged to bear'upontheheard, is

an operating rod or wire 15 extending through a bore or i passage 16projecting from the socket continuously through the handle and openingat its outer end through the knob or upper end of the handle, therodbeing curved to conform with the curvature of said passage, whichlatter is of suficient diameter or area to .permit the rod to playvertically therein to a sufficient extent to throw the shoe 7 into andout of engagement with 85 the shoes 4 and 4, At its upper end the'rod isprovided with a push button 17 on which acts a spring 18 in a recess 19to hold the rod and pushbutton normally elevated.

It will be lunderstood from the foregoing 'description 9( that themotorman without'removing hisr hand from the handle, may depress thepush button' 17, thereby forcing the contact or shoe 7 down intoengagement with the shoes 4 and 4* and closing the alarm circuit ofwhich the conductors 5 and 6 form a part, thereby v95 actuating thealarm, lwhich may be a bell or other audible signal. Y' The advantagesof this construction and arrangement of the device willv be apparent.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. 4, 5 and the controllerhandle 3* is provided in its hori- 100 zontal arm with alongitudinalpas'sage 16 and in its vertical arm with a passage llf3. Thepassage 16l opens through the underside of the horizontal arm forfthegreater portion of its length, and at opposite Asideof said arm areprovided doyetailed'guideways 105 20 adapted to receive a. closureor\cover plate 21- slidably'engaging said guideimys and removably heldin position by screws or other securing devices 22. This.

Aconstruction is; employed to permitconvenient forma* tion of thepasfages in casting the handle or by boring -the 'samefas well as toadmit access to the passages'for the purpose oi applying and rene-wingthe partsv contained therein. A non-conducting tube or lining 23 isprovided in the passage 16" and is suitably secured at its lower end tothe handle and ,terminates at its upper end below the upper end oi saidpassage, leaving a 'chamber 24 for the reception of the push button oroperating device. On the controller box are diametrically'disposedconductors 25 and 26, between which arefarranged insulating pieces, 27and 28, said parts being'inthe form o segments and arranged in acircular'oririiig-shaped path. On the base o the controller handle andarranged, concentric with the socket therein are similar contacts 25 and26'L and intervening insulatingA blocks or pieces 27A and 28, whichinsulating blocks `or pieces insulate or -separate thev conductors orcontacts to preventthepassage. of a current between them except when thecontacts on y the handle are in engagement with the contactson lthe box.The contacts 25 and 26 are connected in practice with conductors in asuitable bell circuit in connection with the car circuit of a battery,and leadiri'g from the conductors 25 and 26fL on` the handle are wires29 and 30 which extend longitudinally through passage 1G" and verticallyupwardpthrough the sleeve 23n in the passage 1Gb, boing passed at their25 upper ends through a cap plate 31 covering and closing the top oisaid sleeve andformed o some suitable insulating material. Within thechamber 24 in electrical contact with said wires are respectively.

spring Contact pieces 2i)Il and 30, the contact 29 having securedthereto a' push button or switchoperating member 32 normally heldelevated thereby. From this construction it will be seen ythat when thecontacts on the handle and controller box are in engagement aridthe pushbutton 32 is depressed, the'v 35 switeh'contact 29l'will be brought intoengagement Y with the switch Contact 30 to close the circuit and therebyenergize the alarm, and that upon the release of the b utton the contact29ll will swing away from contact .3 0, thus breaking the circuit andrestoring the button lto normal position. The insulating blocks on thecontroller and controller handleare so arranged as to contact when thehandle is in current cut'- out position. Whom however, the handle isturned to'any degree to supply current to the car, the contacts on thehandle will engage' the contacts on tha-controller and will maintaincontact tlnre'with during thevl'ull swing of the controller throughoutits". operative rahgojof movement, thereby allowing vthe Lw-.fa-larniilto l'iesoundcd by the motorman at any time,"

whilei the carisin motion. f.

ni what@ that um construction' ifi-bni forms' the;controller.z'slmitgiithe weight 'ot' 'the handle willl bring?ithecontactsiand insulating pieces ther'e'dr'i.A

1yr 'into 1i rictiona'l. contact 'with the1 contacts and latingtpicct-sr-fnfthecotroller boxf controlling means upon a controller handle properor a brake handle, either Inode oi use falling within the scope of theappended claims, the essential characteristic of the inventionconsisting inl providing an alarm energizing means arranged upon one ofthe handles under control of the motorman, whereby the motorman may,without taking his 'hand from the handle, energize the alarm. 5

Having thus Vdescribed the invention, what is claimed as new, isz-4 f 1.in an electric alarm for cars. the kcombination with a controller box orcasing, und a controller shaft, of an alarm `,circuit having terminalsdisposed upon the controller box in a curved path concentric with theshaft, a controller handle upon the shaft, contact means upon the handletov bridge and engage said terminal, said contact means being adaptedfor operation at any point' in the movement of the handle inthe yusualway, and controlling means .on the handle for rendering the contactmeans Athereon'operative in connection with the terminals to energizethealarm circuit.

2. In an electric alarm for cars, the combination with a controllerboxer casing, and acontroller shaft, of an alarm controlling box orcasing, and a controller shaft, of analarm circuit havingr terminalconducting shoesinsulated from each other and disposed upon thecontroller box in a curved path concentric with the shaft, a. controllerhan- .die for operating the shaft, said handle being provided with apassage extending longitudinally therethrough und opening through itsupper end and base, conductors extending through said passage, a circuitcloser exposed at the upper end of the handle for connecting saidconductors, and a 'contact slice upon the base of the handle to bridgeand connect said circuit terminal shoes, whereby thc circuit niay heenergized at any point in the path of movement of fhe handle. i

4. In an electric alarm for cars, the combination with a controller' boxor easing, and a controller shaft, of 4an alarmen-enit havinglnsulatedterminul contact shoes dis-v posed upon the controller box in acurved path concentric with said shaft, a handle for operating theshaft, said handle having a bore or passage extenijllngl longitudinallytherethrough and opening,r through'its upper end undbase, a ,shoe uponthe base of the handle to bridge and connect the terminal shoes, andmeans extending through thcpussagc of the handle and having acontrolling device :it the top of the handle whereby the shoe upon thehandle may beicontrolled for coaction with the terminal shoes toenergine the circuit at any point in the pathl of movement of thehandle.

In an electric alarm for cars, the combination with a :controller box orcasing, and u controller' shaft, of an `alarm circuit having terminalsdisposed upon the box ln n curved lpath concentric with the shaft, ahandle for operating the shaft, said handle being provided with abore orpassage extending longitudinally therethrougnand opening,r through itsupper end und base, a detachable closer for thc-poriion of thepassage'extendim,r through the hoi-i;

zontal parl. of the handle and controllingmcuns extem'lin'r through saidbore liliddncllldilig u shoeupon the buse `o`f the handle to bridge andconnect the lterminals, wherebyI the circuit may be energized nt anypoint inthe path of niovcment'of the handle.

(i. ln an loctric alarm for cars, the c'ombination'wlth a.

l.controller box, and n controller shaft, otanalurm circuit havingterminals disposed upon the controller box in :if

lcurved path concentric with the shaft, a controller' handle adaptedforV detachable connection with the-shaft, AContact i centric with andhandle associated with said contact means, by which the circuit may beenergized to sound the alarm.

7. In an electric alarm for cars, the combination with :i controller boxand a controller shaft, -of an alarm circuit having terminals mountedupon the controller box cenindependent of the shaft, a controller handleprovided in its base with a socket to receive the shaft, said handlebeing thereby adapted for application to and removable from the shaft,contact means upon the base of the handle adapted to bridge saidterminals, and means upon vsaid handle associated with said Contactmeans whereby the circuit may he energized at any point in the path ofmovement of the handle to sound the alarm. In testimony whereof, we ailxour signatures ln pres ence of witnesses.

THOMAS ROBERT KINSELLA. CHRISTOPHER W. IIODGETTS.

Witnesses Ammin SA BLnMKm, Rosi: Rnmumm'r, C. Kimi-snm, E. Hove-mrs.

